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Thursday, March 27, 2014

Did you know that you can freeze bananas? I buy bananas every few days, and it never fails that one or two of them ripen too quickly. Once that happens I just toss them in the freezer. As of last week I had 8 bananas in my freezer waiting to be used.

One of my favorite recipes using bananas are these Banana Chocolate Chip Muffins. They work as a breakfast muffin or a sweet treat, and my little one loves them. Last weekend I had some blueberries to use so turned to a recipe from the blog Cookaholic Wife and found a breakfast bread recipe that would use 3 of my bananas.

To use the frozen bananas, take them out of the freezer about 15-20 minutes before they are needed. Then simple peel them and use them in your recipe. You don't even need to wrap them in plastic to freeze them - the peel is so thick that it protects the banana.

It's no secret that I prefer cooking over baking. I despise measuring, so baking can annoy me to no end. But I have really tried to push myself and bake more often over the past few years. One thing I do to make it easier on myself is to measure out every single ingredient first.

Sure, it makes more dishes, but it's easier on me, and it also makes it fun for my 3 year old daughter to help out. She loves picking up all of the bowls, pouring in the ingredients, and then mixing them.

This bread was really easy, both sweet and tart from the flavors of the bananas and blueberries, and was so perfect with my cup of tea on a lazy Sunday morning.

One more picture before I get to the recipe - doesn't it look like the bread is making a funny face at the camera?

In one bowl, mash the bananas with a potato masher or fork. Set aside.

In another bowl, combine the flour, baking soda, cinnamon and salt.

In a large bowl, whisk together the sugar and eggs until light and fluffy. Add the applesauce, yogurt, and vanilla extract. Stir to combine. Then add in the flour mixture, stirring until combined.

Fold in the bananas and then the blueberries.

Pour the batter into the loaf pan and bake for 1 hour or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. (Note, I used my convection bake setting on my oven and this was done in just under 50 minutes)

Monday, March 24, 2014

I told you I was going to be on a bit of a kale kick! Since I first made kale about a month ago, I have made it at least 2 times a week. At least...

My latest kale recipe was a quinoa lunch bowl with kale, tomatoes, onions, garlic, and white beans - super filling, packed with nutrients, healthy, lots of different textures, and perfectly savory. And what a great choice for lunch since you don't have any guilt when eating it and it actually fills you up for the entire afternoon.

You can eat this one cold, room temperature, or warm, depending on your preferences and mood. It was cold in my office last week so I chose to warm it up.

I usually cook with regular quinoa, but my store only had red the last time I went shopping. I didn't think it would be any different, but it actually was a touch more bitter, even after thoroughly rinsing it. So if you want something milder, stick with regular quinoa.

Friday, March 14, 2014

When we go out for Mexican food I always order a side of refried beans. I love how they are so creamy and salty, and unlike anything you could ever get in a can. So when I saw that my friend Sarah was making them at home and raved about them, I knew I'd have to try them. The thought that I'd be able to have authentic refried beans at home made me so giddy!

I finally got around to it last week to go with some easy weeknight tacos. I started tasting the beans as they were cooking and couldn't believe how good they were. They really tasted just like beans I have eaten at Mexican restaurants! This is an easy recipe that can simmer as you are preparing the other parts of your meal, and then you just mash them up before you are ready to eat.

Below is the original recipe; I doubled this because I knew I'd want leftovers.

Ingredients

2 strips bacon

1/2 medium onion, finely chopped

1 clove garlic, minced

1/4 teaspoon ground cumin

Pinch cayenne pepper

1 (15 oz.) can pinto beans, drained and rinsed

Salt and pepper

1 cup chicken or veggie broth, divided

Directions

Heat a medium skillet
over medium-high heat. Cook the bacon until crisp, being careful not to burn it. Using tongs or a slotted spoon, remove the bacon pieces to a paper towel-lined plate
leaving the grease in the pan. (Save the bacon for another use, like
BLTs, or if you can't let cooked bacon sit staring at you, eat it as an appetizer :)

Add the onion to the pan. Cook until just tender,
about 4-5 minutes.

Stir in the garlic, cumin and cayenne, and cook until
fragrant, about 30-60 seconds.

Add the beans to the pan. Season with a bit of
salt and pepper (you can add more later, don't oversalt). Pour in 2/3 cup of the
broth, bring to a boil, and reduce to a light simmer (do not cover). Let simmer for about 10
minutes or until most of the liquid has been absorbed.

Remove the pan
from the heat and allow to cool slightly. Mash the bean mixture as desired. For
a chunkier texture, use a fork or potato masher (I used a potato masher). For a smoother texture, pulse
the mixture in a food processor. Add up to 1/3 cup more
broth for a lighter texture and adjust seasonings to taste.

Tuesday, March 11, 2014

A few weeks ago I used kale in a sausage and pasta dish and loved it so much that I added kale to my menu again the very next day. I made the ultimate southern comfort food, Chicken and Dumplings, and served sautéed kale on the side.

Unlike spinach, my usual go to easy green side, kale doesn't cook down all that much when you wilt it, so you know how much you will be left with after it wilts. I love that it stays somewhat crisp as well. And the best thing is that you just put it in the pan, cover it, and let it wilt for 10-15 minutes - no attention needed!

I have made this recipe twice in the past few weeks - once with vegetable broth and once with chicken broth. Jon and I both actually preferred the one cooked with chicken broth, but to keep it vegetarian you can stick with the vegetable broth.

Friday, March 7, 2014

Born and raised in Philadelphia, I love a good Cheesesteak, and I have a great recipe for making them at home here. I have used leftover cheesesteak ingredients to make a cheesesteak omelet inspired by one I had in Philly, and have also had cheesesteak calzones and strombolis, but never a pizza.

You can use your own pizza dough recipe for these, or buy a pre-made crust.

I made 2 personal pizzas so Jon and I could adjust them to our preferences. My pizza followed the original recipe exactly, but I made a few changes to Jon's including adding pizza sauce and some shredded pizza cheese.

I was SO happy with these! The soy sauce with the meat adds great flavor, and the cheese sauce is to die for. Note - make extra cheese sauce because it's great poured over nachos or in a quesadilla! I actually had some leftover meat and peppers too, so the next day I made cheesesteak quesadillas using those ingredients and the cheese sauce.

* A few notes on the recipe and ingredients.

- The original recipe calls for flank steak. If you don't have flank steak, try rib eye (put it in the freezer for a bit so you can slice it super thin). Another option is using frozen thinly sliced steaks packaged for cheesesteaks - note, not SteakUms but meat frozen in a meat pack by the butcher. These work fine and will save you some cooking time, and they can be shredded as you cook them instead of sliced after cooking.

- Also, the cheese sauce is a must. Don't get worried that there isn't any cheese that melts on the pizza while it is baking - you won't need it with this cheese sauce. When you make the cheese sauce, try adding some American cheese to it to make it super creamy.

- One final note - make extra of everything! Trust me, you will be happy to have leftovers!

2 personal sized pizza crusts (your own, or a pre-cooked one like Boboli or even Naan bread)

Directions

Place a pizza stone or heavy baking sheet in your oven, and preheat oven to 500° (keep stone or baking sheet in oven).

Season steak on both sides with the black pepper salt, garlic powder and onion powder. Heat olive oil in a large cast-iron skillet over medium-high heat. Add the steak to the pan; cook for 4 minutes on each side or until desired degree of doneness. Remove from pan; let stand 5 minutes. Cut steak across the grain into very thin slices. (or shred meat as you cook - see my note above)

Combine milk and flour in a small pot; stir with a whisk until smooth. Place on the stove over medium heat and bring to a simmer. Remove from the heat and stir in your cheeses, whisking until smooth. Drizzle the cheese mixture over the pizza.

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